The electrical and electronic industries use millions of terminal parts each year. Terminal parts include coil forms, bobbins, terminal strips and like items. These items are usually molded of plastic which may be of either the thermoplastic or the thermosetting types. The terminal parts are manufactured in various sizes, some of which are relatively small. The terminals of the smaller terminal parts are commonly formed of short pieces of wire which may be of circular or noncircular cross sections. The small pieces of wire forming the terminals are usually cut from continuous lengths of wire handled in coils. It is quite often difficult to manually insert the small pieces of wire into the smaller terminal parts.
Many different types of machines have been proposed or constructed for the purpose of inserting wire terminals into the smaller plastic terminal parts. Generally, these machines have been specially built to manufacture a few sizes or types of terminal parts and most of these machines were not readily adjustable or adaptable to manufacture terminal parts of different sizes and shapes. Further, these machines have not been suitable for manufacturing terminal parts in which it was necessary to vary the arrangement or lengths of terminal wires. Since the industry uses a variety of terminal parts, it is advantageous to provide a wire terminal inserting machine that can easily be modified or adjusted to manufacture terminal parts of varying sizes and having varying terminal arrangements.
To meet this need, this invention is concerned with an apparatus for simultaneously forming a number of short pieces of wire or terminals from a number of elongated lengths of wire and inserting the terminals in preformed openings in pieces of plastic to make parts such as coil forms, bobbins, terminal strips, etc. The invention is particularly concerned with such an apparatus in which both the type and number of wire forming tools can easily be changed and in which the sequence of operation of the forming tools can also easily be varied.
An object of this invention is an apparatus of the type described which can easily be adjusted to make plastic terminal parts of different sizes, shapes and having different numbers and locations of terminals.
Another object is a wire forming and applicator apparatus in which the wire terminals can be shaped both before and after insertion in the plastic parts.
Another object is a wire forming and applicator apparatus which can be adjusted to form wire terminals of varying lengths.
Another object is an apparatus which simultaneously forms and inserts wire terminals into a plastic part with the terminals being arranged in more than one plane.
Accordingly, another object of this invention is an apparatus for simultaneously forming a plurality of terminals from a plurality of lengths of wire and inserting the terminals simultaneously into openings preformed in plastic parts. The apparatus includes means for simultaneously moving a plurality of lengths of wire which are held in spaced relation to one another to a severing position. Means are provided for simultaneously severing end portions from said lengths of wire to form a plurality of wire terminals. Means are provided for supporting said terminals in spaced relation to one another. Means are provided for supporting a plastic part having openings formed therein for receiving the terminals. Means are provided for moving the plastic part and the terminals into engagement with one another to embed the terminals in the openings in the plastic part. Means are also provided for bending portions of the terminals after the terminals have been embedded in the plastic part.
Other objects may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings.